Saturday, November 21, 2009

It was the worst storm in the last 50 years with a record
41.5 centimeters of rainfall in one day that caused a flood of chaos in the
nation’s capital resulting to over two hundred of casualties, dozens of people
missing, half a million displaced and a damage to crops and infrastructure that
is estimated to reach P3 billion. Sounds
like a good synopsis for a disaster movie but unfortunately it is a real life
story that will be remembered as one of the darkest days in our history.

For days, we have glued our eyes in front of our TV sets
to wait for news updates and advisories about the devastation brought by
typhoon Ondoy. Every scene, video clip
or snap shot flashed on screen is like a bitter pill that is hard to
swallow. “I thought I was just
dreaming,” said by a woman in an evacuation center when asked by a reporter to
describe how she feels that moment. I’m
sure many share the same sentiment. I
know because it really felt surreal to see our house soaked in dirty water with
all our things cluttered just a few days after cleaning and arranging all our
stuff before I left for the PMAP conference festivities.

We have heard a lot of stories about that fateful day ---
many were heartbreakers that can soften even the heart of stone. But there were also tales that make us cheer
in the midst of the tragedy from time to time.
Indeed, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Humbled by the storm, it will be easier for
us to stand if we put in mind the lessons we can gain from the experience. Here are some of those learning that I want
to share:

If there’s a will,
there’s a way. Did you see the man on a wheelchair in
the middle of a busy street wrestling against strong wind and rain to find
a safe place to stay? How about the man trying to cross the ravaging flood
walking on Meralco wires just to get home?
You can say things about their foolishness but you have to commend
their heart and spirit. They were
not afraid to take what ever it takes to achieve their goals.

Bayanihan still lives
on. Despite of the incidents of looting,
overpricing of goods and alarming hoax text messages, the spirit of camaraderie
finds its way to the hearts of the many.
It’s like Christmas where people become generous and ready to lend
a helping hand. But what really hit
me was the story of two unsung heroes from Batasan, Quezon City. Muelmar Magallanes and
Rolly Ignacio were already in a safe place when they saw neighbors
drowning in the flood. They were
able to save many lives but did not survive the fury of the storm. They who have almost nothing were the
ones who gave everything they have for the sake of others.

Even a click of a
finger can save lives. Forget the insensitive
remarks of Facebook user Jacque Bermejo (Buti na lang am here in Dubai!
Maybe so many sinners back there! So yeah deserving what happened),
but we have to admit that being a little tech savvy these days is
important if not a must. I know
some people who admitted that if not for a message posted in their
Facebook and Twitter account, they might have been one of the many victims
of Ondoy. Members of such social
network sites posted updates, notes and even videos online that made a lot
of people aware of places or roads to avoid during the storm. Now, text messaging has found a new
partner in reaching out to people in the fastest way possible.

There is life in after
a tragedy. Just like a promise of a rainbow after the
rain, there is hope in every misfortune.
After two days on the rooftop of his house soaked in flood water, a
man was finally rescued in the morning of his birthday. It was drama yet joyful when his
rescuers sang a happy birthday tune.
A female doctor of UERM hospital was inside his car when her
vehicle was carried to nowhere by the flood. Without hesitations, a security guard of
the hospital jumped to save the terrified woman. She lives another day and so does her
patients. A pregnant woman about to
give birth was trapped in the second floor of a neighbor’s house. He was saved by an American soldier who
brought him to the nearest hospital.
The baby boy was named Jonathan in honor of his rescuer, Dr. Johnny
Potter of the US Army.

It’s not only the rain
we should blame. We can’t deny the fact that we could
have also contributed to the enormous damage brought by the storm. Garbage management has always been a
problem in the past and we should be aware that even those little trashes
that we just throw anywhere will return to us in bulks through floods and
other calamities. Be eco-friendly
and maximize the use of every material at home or at the office. We can get some inspiration from the
people who created boats out of plastic containers, truck wheel’s rubber
interiors, busted air bed and other things just to cope and survive the
flood.

There is a thing called prayer to hang on
to during desperate times. I can’t
remember when was the last time I prayed so hard for the rain to
stop. I usually devote minutes of
prayer every morning to talk to God for all his blessings and wishes for
my love ones but that Saturday morning during the wrath of Ondoy, I prayed
the rosary with my wife asking for the weather to calm down. I consider it a miracle to have saved
all the important things in our home considering that we have no second
floor and the flood outside was chest-deep. Reminds me of a mother being interviewed
on TV in an evacuation area. She
said (in tagalong), “We almost gave up because we really thought that no
one can save us and we will all drown to death. Then my daughter told us to pray and
papa Jesus will save us.”

When you’re down,
there’s no way to go but up.
Two years ago, tragedy struck our family. Within the last quarter of 2007, we lost
my first child Monique and younger brother Jimmy in two separate
unfortunate incidents. There was no
devastating flood nor heavy rains but it felt like I was drowning. Through the help of our friends, in
their own little way, my family is learning to move on. Now, this family is coping on how to
live in a drenched house. No, we’re
not down because we’ve just been there and together we will all stand up to
continue this journey called life.

We all have our own Ondoy story to tell. Whether it’s a near-death experience, an
unforgettable moment or a sad story, we should always remember that it is not
only misery that we get from a tragedy.
Every obstacle in the roads we take can make us a better and stronger
person. We just have to learn from the
lessons from a storm.